Portland, New South Wales

Portland is a town in New South Wales, Australia. It is 2 1/2 hours from Sydney, and 40 minutes to Bathurst and 30 minutes from Lithgow. The town is of interest as an historic mining town and as the place of the first cement works in Australia, which was opened in 1902. Cement produced at the Portland cement works helped build the city of Sydney and the cement was shipped around Australia until the works closed in 1991. Portland is part of the gateway to the Central West and is located between Oberon, Mudgee, Bathurst, Lithgow and the Blue Mountains. The town is surrounded by countryside and has many areas for bushwalking. It is close to the Wollemi and Gardens of Stone National Parks. The Portland nsw fire brigade formed on the 17th of November, 1955. District officer Mallam and electrical officer Mead arrived at Portland on 17/11/1955 to form the brigade. Station no. 423. On the same day, the station was visited by Shire clerk M brown, Mr. Carter and the alderman, R. Fitzgerald to be fully inspected. No 53 motor engine was installed together with furnishings. JOHN MACKEY. V.C. , WWII HERO John Bernard Mackey was born on 16/5/1922 and moved to Portland from Leichardt , when his father purchased a bakery. The accounts of his bravery is as follows; ‘leading his troops along a track, barely wide enough to support one man, they came under fire from 3 well-sited positioned near the top of a very steep ridge. He charged the 1st light machine gun position, but slipped. He wrestled with the enemy and after bayoneting him, Mackey charged straight on to the heavy machine gun and killed the crew with grenades. He charged on further. Mackey made it within a few feet of the enemy position and killed two more enemy, before he himself, was struck down by light machine gun fire and killed.’ Corporal John Bernard Mackey was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously, for his bravery at Tarakan island that day.

References

• Portland Website